The film is written and directed by Daniel Noah and is Lewis’ first leading role since 1995’s “Funny Bones.”

Legend Jerry Lewis returns to the big screen in the most personal role of a lifetime. Lightstream Entertainment and Paladin released a new trailer for the drama “Max Rose,” an intimate story about losing the one you love and holding on to the ones that are still around.

Lewis stars as the titular character, a retired jazz pianist whose wife of 65 years Eva (Claire Bloom) dies. After her death, he discovers an intimate note from another man written to her in 1959 and slowly starts to believe his marriage was a lie. As he embarks on an exploration of his own past, he is brought face to face with a menagerie of characters from a bygone era.

The film is written and directed by Daniel Noah and also stars Kevin Pollack, Kerry Bishe and Illeana Douglas. A preliminary cut of the film was first screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and after being reworked had its official US premiere at the Museum of Modern Art in April of this year.

“Max Rose” is Lewis’ first leading role since 1995’s “Funny Bones.” Upon reading the script, he knew he had to be a part of this story. “It was beautifully written,” he said during the Q&A at MoMA. “I couldn’t wait to go to set every day, and when you feel that, then you know you’re doing something good.”

As for the director, having Lewis be part of the project was critical to the film’s success, “It’s a movie about endings,” Noah told IndieWire. “Ideally it would be an actor who was willing to basically make a movie about the end of his career, and that’s a hard thing to find.”

“Max Rose” will open in New York on September 2, Los Angeles on September 9, and expand nationwide throughout September and October.